This Time, It's Personal
by FullMoon'sCat-elf
Summary: SPR wasn't supposed to do cases overseas,but the client had some serious circumstances.Mai was given a letter-a warning-that was never read.When the case brings secrets to the surface,Mai realizes the letter was right.And who's this Alice character? ¡Hiatus!


I know I shouldn't be doing this since I have two other stories in the works right now, but just think of this as a preview.

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Chapter One

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It was a miracle- well, it was to the teen at least. Mai had woken up that morning and nothing seemed to be going right. And yet- despite her neighbors plaguing her, the black cats that seemed to keep crossing her path and all of the traffic- she was going to reach her job on time. As long as she took the short cut through that really creepy alley, she would continue to be on time.

So through the alley the brunette went.

"Miss, are you Mai from Shibuya Psychic Research?" A tall woman stood behind the teen in the alleyway, covered in a long, dark coat. Mai stopped and turned around. Just a few seconds ago, there had been nothing and no one in the alley but her.

The strange woman appeared relieved when Mai stared at her. "I was right then. Listen to me, child. You need to read this when you are in private- before you decide to go on your next job." The lady handed her an envelope and ran away.

Mai watched as the woman ran off, wondering why she had been singled out. Finally loosing sight of the strange woman in the crowd, Mai wandered onto the main road, glancing up at a shop window. Her eyes widened at once when she saw the time. 'Oh, no! Naru's gonna kill me!' She ran down the street as fast as her legs could carry her- and as the crowd allowed. Naru had warned her that she would be left behind on their next case if she was late.

Mai arrived at the office, only slightly winded. "Hello, Mai." John sat on the couch in front of her and she smiled in response to his greeting. Naru, as per usual sat in the armchair by the window. Everyone else, save Lin, was absent.

Someone opened the door behind her and she just barely managed to step out of the way in time. The client, Mr. King, stuck his head through and smiled nervously before entering. When he sat down, Naru said, "Mai, make some tea."

'Sheesh,' she thought, moving toward the kitchenette. 'I'm here for three seconds and he's already telling me to make some tea!'

"Ah." Mr. King's voice made her pause and look at him. "I can't drink tea. Sorry."

Mai smiled at him before continuing with her task. 'Even though Mr. King can't have it, Naru's practically addicted to it.' Naru waited for Mai to return and pour the tea before he began questioning their potential client.

"So, Mr. King, why did you come here today?" He took a sip of his drink, oblivious to the way his monotonous voice was unnerving the man.

"Umm, well...I own and manage a small chain of hotels. Recently, there have been several strange incidents at my location in America."

"Incidents? What do you mean?" Father Brown asked.

"Customers will set something down, and when they go to look for it, they can't find it for days." Mr. King looked at his hands when he noticed everyone staring at him. He remained silent for over a minute.

"I think you should have the police handle this," Naru responded. "It sounds like a petty thief." While Mai disliked her boss's tone, she couldn't help but agree with his statement.

"That's what I told the staff, but then…bigger objects- some of them were even bolted into the wall- began to move by themselves, and whenever anyone tried to clean one of the rooms on the third floor, they'd get in an accident. The same kind of accident as anyone else who tried to clean." It was clear that Mr. King was freaked out by what was going on at his hotel, but a question came to Naru's mind.

"In that case, why come to us? There has to be someone in the area that can help."

"Well," the client said. "I heard that you were some of the best- and there wasn't anyone in the area that wanted to take the case."

"I see. Exactly where in America is this hotel of yours, Mr. King?"

"It's in Oregon. But don't worry- it's nowhere near Salem. And I have enough rooms and plane tickets for your group, too. I just don't know who else to ask."

"We'll take the case. We will need some time to get everything ready, but we should be able to make it by next week." Naru finished his tea, placed his cup on the table and stood.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Mr. King continued to thank everyone profusely until he left.

"Father Brown, make sure that Monk and Miss Matsuzaki are at the airport by a quarter to one tomorrow afternoon. Mai." He looked at her before picking up his binder.

"Yes, Naru?" She looked up at him.

"Tell Yasuhara to meet us there too. And try not to be late; the plane will leave without you."

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Word Count: 805


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